1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal fitting and an electric wire provided with the terminal fitting.
2. Description of the Related Art
A prior-art terminal fitting is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-228759. The terminal connection part to be connected to a mating terminal fitting is formed at the front part of the terminal fitting. The terminal fitting has the lower plate part continuous with the terminal connection part at the rear part thereof. The lower plate part is provided with a pair of front crimping pieces and a pair of rear crimping pieces raised from the left and right side edges thereof. The crimping part is constructed of the crimping pieces and the lower plate part. In detail, the crimping part is constructed of the wire barrel portion where a pair of the front crimping pieces is crimped with the lower plate part and a pair of the front crimping pieces surrounding core wires exposed outside as a result of the removal of the coating disposed at the end portion of the electric wire, and the insulation barrel portion where a pair of the rear crimping pieces is crimped with the lower plate part and a pair of the rear crimping pieces surrounding the end portion of the coated electric wire. Because the terminal fitting is formed by bending a metal plate material having a constant thickness, the thickness of each crimping piece is almost constant.
But in the prior-art terminal fitting, the vertical dimension of the crimping part is the addition of the vertical dimension of the end portion of the electric wire, the thickness of the lower plate part, and the thickness of the crimping piece. When the end portion of the electric wire is thick, the vertical dimension of the crimping part is large. Thus it is difficult to make the height of the crimping part small.
In the above-described prior-art terminal fitting, the dimension of the insulation barrel portion in the left-to-right direction thereof is the addition of the dimension of the end portion of the coated electric wire in the left-to-right direction thereof, the thickness of the left crimping piece, and that of the right crimping piece. The dimension of the insulation barrel portion in the left-to-right direction thereof is the rate-determining factor of the dimension of the terminal fitting in the left-to-right direction thereof. When the end portion of the electric wire is thick, the dimension of the insulation barrel portion in the left-to-right direction thereof is large. Thus it is difficult to make the terminal fitting compact.
The present invention has been completed based on the above-described situation. It is an object of the present invention to make the external dimension of a crimping part small.